Combination lock



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2 y F. TORKA ET AL COMBINATION LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet z Filed Jan. 29. 1924 Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK TORKA ANI) WILHELM V. E. TORKA, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

COMBINATION Loox.

Application filed January 29, 1924. Serial No. 689,246.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK TORNA and WILHELM V. E. ToRKA, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented cerlain new and useful Improvements in Combination Locks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a device to be used in connection with a latching or locking shaft and of combination means associated therewith to permit actuation Vof said shaft only by one knowing the combination.

It is yan object of our invention to provide such al device which is extremely simple, cheap to make, and easily operable. i Another object is the provision in such a device of means whereby it may readily be secured to a support and removed therefrom, but one which may not be removed without knowledge and operation of the combination device. n

A further object is the provision of means for defeating an attempt to solve the combination, by means of the use of false devices in connection with the combinationl means.

Our invention comprises those novel parte and combinations thereof which are shown in the accompanying drawings, described in the specification and particularly defined by the claims terminating the same.

Tn the accompanying drawings we have shown our invention in the form which is now preferred by us.

Figure 1 is an axial section through one embodiment of our invention.

Figure 2 is an inside face view of our ins vention. y p

Figure 3 isa section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, parts being broken away;

Figure i is a side elevation of the core forming .part of our invention.

Figure is a view'si1nila1'-to Figure ll, showing a slight modification.

Our invention is adapted for use in con net-.tion with latches land locks of various types, with switches such as automobile ig` i'itionswitches, Vand for all purposes 'where a simple'combination device is. designed'to be employed for permitting the rotation or oscillation of aloek shaft and for preventing `its unauthorized actuation; The invention is secured upon some suitable support, indicated bythe numeral; 9, ywithin which an aperture-MJS provided to 'receive the.;;1ock

mechanism.

. The lock shaft 1 extends through the aperture 91., or through a reduced portion 92 thereof, and at its outer und may be provided with a suitable knob or handle 10. The inner end 11 of the shaft 1 may take any form that is deemed desirable and may be associated with various latch or locking mechanisms or with a switch direct, if 'used in connection with an automobile ignition switch, but as such mechamsm forms no part of our present invention, no such devices have been illustrated. Tt will be understood'then, that the inner end of the lock shaftl may be connected to any suitable mechanism,the actuation of which it is desired to control through combination means.

The 'shaft 1 is rotatably mounted in a bore 21 extending axially through a core 2. Preferably the core is flanged, as indicated at 22, and it is provided with a recess 23 ir. which normally lies a lug 12 formed upon the lock shaft 1. Normally, with the lug 12 within its recess 23, no part of the lock shaft extends outwardly of the' periphery of the core 2, although preferably the bore 21 which receives the shaft 1 is positioned adjacent the periphery of the core.

Essentially forming a part of the support J and received in the aperture 91 thereof, is a sleeve This sleeve terminates wit-hin the aperture 91 to leave an inwardly facing shoulder 31. Tn order to secure the sleeve 3 within the aperture 91, it may have a fiange 32 through which screws 33 may be passed into the support 9 to secure the sleeve in place thereon.

Forming a part of the lock unit which includes the core 2 and lock shaft 1, is a face plate L This face plate is secured to the support 9, as by means of screws 41, and

hides the sleeve 3 and the screws 33 which i hold the same in place. YPreferably a sleeve 42-forms a part of the plate 4 and ksurrounds the'core 2l and lies within the sleeve 3,` Thc inner ends ofthe sleeves 42 andv 3 andgof the core 2, are preferably Hush, for a purpose y.

sprpg .pressed balls. ,50....eagageable inreccsses 51 in the member immediately beneath, by means ot which the relative position of the rings 5 and their position relative to the core 2 may be determined.

ln order to permit rotation of the shaft 1 and consequent projection ot the lug 12 bevond the periphery of the core, the disks 5 arc provided with notches in their inner edges, indicated at 52, which are registrable one with another and with the lug 12, and which when so registered will permit swinging of the lug outwardly into these notches. Inasmuch as it is possible, by rotating the coi'nbination disks 5 while pressing the' lug 12 outward., to determine by a lessening of friction when a notch passes by the lug 12, we have provided a plurality of false notches indicated at 53,- about the inner edge ot the rings 5 and too shallow to permit projection ot the lug 12, but which willgive the same effect to the touch when rotated past the lug in other words, when these false notches 53 are passed over the lug l2, the lug being pressed outward to bear aga c t` the inner edge of the ring, a lessening oi' the friction will occur corresponding in all respects to that occurring when the proper notch 52 is passed over the lug 12, but the false notches 53, being` shallow, will not permit the rotation of the lug` 12 and thus the proper combination cannot be determined by these means.

In order to prevent removal of the lock unit by simple removal ot' the screws 41 'trom the tace plate, we have provided a dog G which is secured upon the inner end ot the core 2, and which in the embodiment shown osciilates in the plane thereof. iVhen in the normal locked position the dog 6 overlies the inner ends of both sleeves 12 and 3. Means are provided for swinging the dog G upon rotation of the shaft 1 from its normal lo kcd position. For this purpose, we have shown the gear segment 16 upon the shaft 1 and a complemental gear segment ttl upon the dog (i, the two segments being in mesh. Rotation ot' the shaft 1 causes swinging ot the. deg t3' in such a manner that it is withdrawn from the inner end ot' the sleeve 3.

that is from the shoulder 51. but not troni jement with the end of the sleeve Th with the screws 41 removed and the dog swung inwardly into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, the lock unit may be removed from the aperture 91. but this may only be done when the proper combination has been eiccted to permit rotation oLt the shaft.

To secure the combination disks 5 in place and to prevent rotation of the lock unit within its supp rt, it is desirable to secure the face plate -i and the core 2 together in such manner as to preventY relative reciprocatio'n, and to provide means to prevent rotatioil ofthe intermittent-ive te its support,

These objects can conveniently be accomplished bythe provision of screws -l passing through the sleeve 4t2 into the core 2, and having their heads projecting. The heads ol these screws are received in axially disposed `grooves Set in the interior ot the sleeve 3, as is best shown in Figure 2.

.it it is desired to rotate the shaft 'l through 180 degrees instead ot 90 degreesy which is the maximum permissible with a core such as shown in Figure Ll, the core ot' lrigure 5 may be employed. This has a second recess 25, opposite the recess 23, which receives the lug 'l2 after it has been turned through 180 degrees from the recess 23.

Such a lock can be readily disassembled by removing the screws 41 holding the 'face plate, and then turning the shaft 1 to disengage the dog G from shoulder 3l. vWith the lock unit removed from the support it is readily disassembled, and the combination may be changed by the mere substitution ot' other disks 5.

lWhat we claim as our invention is:

1. In a combination lock, the combination with a support and a lock unit removably secured therein, and including a rotatable lock sha-tt and combination means cooperable with said shaft to permit rotation thereof when the shaft and combination means assume a predetermined relative position, of a member directly secured to said support and hidden by said lock unit, and means removable 'from the support with said lock unit, and normally engagingsaid member to prevent removal of the lock unit While the shaft is in normal locking position, said means being operable by rotation of the shaftto disengage it from the said member when the shaft is turned from locking position.

2. In a combination lock, the combination with a .support having an aperture therethrough and a lock unit removably secured in said aperture, said lock unit including a rotatable lock shaft and combination means cci-operable with said shaft to permit rotation thereof from its normal locking position when the combination means and shaft assume a predetermined relative position, of a dog mounted upon said lock unit and positioned within the aperture, and normally engaging .said support to prevent removal of the lock unit, and means interengageable between said dog and locking shaft to disensaid dog from the support upon movement of the shaft from locking position.

In a combination lock, in combination with an apertured support, a lock unit removably secured in said aperture, said unit including a core', a lock shat't rotatably mounted therein, combination means associated with said' shaft and cooperable there; with to permit rotation of said. shaft from itsiaeiriiial locking position when the cembination means and shaft assume a predetermined relative position, a face plate removably7 secured to said support and having a sleeve surrounding said core and fitting within .said aperture, said aperture having a shoulder facing away from said face plate, a dog secured upon said core within the aperture, and normally overlying said sleeve and engaging behind said shoulder, and means intcrengageable between said shaft and dog to disengage the dog from the shoulder upon movement of the shaft from locking position.

4. In a combination lock, in combination with an apertured support, a lock unit removably secured in said aperture, said unit including a flanged core, a lock shaft rotatably mounted therein, combination disks rotatable about said core and cooperable with said shaft to permit rotation thereof from its normal locking position when the combination disks and shaft assume a predetermined relative position, a face plate removably secured to said support and surrounding said core, said combination disks being held between said face plate and the flange of the core, said aperture having a shoulder facing away from said face plate, a dog pivoted upon the inner end of said core to swing in the plane thereof, an`d normally overlying the inner edge of the face plate and engaging behind said shoulder, and means interengageable between said shaft and dog to'swing the latter from engagement with said shoulder but not from engagement with the face plate, upon movement of the shaft from locking position.

5. In a combination lock, in combination with an apertured support, a sleeve secured therein, a lock unit removably secured in said aperture, said unit comprising a core, a lock shaft rotatably mounted therein, combination disks rotatable about said core and cooperable with .said shaft to permit rotation thereof from its normal locking position when the combination disks and shaft assume a predetermined relative position, a face plate having a sleeve surrounding said core and received in said first-mentioned sleeve, said face plate being .secured to the support, and the inner ends of said sleeves and said core lying in the same plane, a dog pivoted upon the inner end of said core to swing in the plane thereof and normally overlying both said sleeves to prevent removal of the lock unit from said first sleeve, and complement-al gear segments upon said dog and lock shaft, whereby said dog is swung from engagement with said first sleeve, but ynot the face plate sleeve, upon movement of the shaft from locking position.

6. In a combination lock, the combination with a support, of a lock unit including a core secu'rable in said support, a shaft rotatable therein, combination rings rotatable about said core and each having notches in its inner edge, a lug on said shaft projectable by rotation of the shaft from its normal position into said notches, said core F having a recess normally receiving said lug, and means for securing said lock unit in said support, and operable by rotation of the sha-ft to release the lock unit.

Signed at Seattle, King County, lVashington, this 19th daf,7 of January, 1924.

FRANK TORKA. WILHELM V. E. TORKA. 

